Reversing mechanism for ironing machines



Sept. 16 1924.

1,508,620 c. N. sme

REVERSING MECHANISM FORIRONING MACHINES I File d Anril 14. 1921' 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept; 16' 1924.

REVERSINQ MECHANISM :FOR' IRQNING MACHINES Filed April 14. 1921 2 snemssnee-z 2 IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 16, 1924.

Mrs!) STATES,

CHARLES N. SING, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

REVERSING MECHANISM FOR IRONING- MACHINES.

Application filed April 14, 1921. Serial No. 461,280.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES N. SING, a citizen of China, residing atNewark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Reversing Mechanism for IroningMachines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to characters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification. I

This invention relates to improvements in ironing machines; and theinvention has reference, more particularly, to a novel reversibledriving means for association with that type of ironing machine whichpossesses a rotary ironing roll and slidable work carrying board,together with a means cooperating with the latter and with said ironingroll to cause said board to travel beneath and in contact with saidironing roll.

The invention has for its principal object to provide, in combinationwith power means for driving the ironing roll and associatedboard-operating means, reversible transmission means for causing, at thewill of the operator, alternate rotation of said mechanism in oppositedirections, whereby the work carrying board iscaused to move forward andback beneath the ironing roll.

The invention has for a further object to provide a novel, simple andeasily controlled reversible transmission mechanism for ironing machinesof the type specified, which may be either incorporated or builtdirectly into the structure of the machine originally, or which maybefurnished and mounted as an attachment adapted to be easily andquickly coupled with either old or new iron ing machines of the typementioned.

Other objects of the invention, not at this time more particularlyenumerated, will be clearly understood from the following detaileddescription of the same.

. WVith the various objectsof the invention in view, the samev consistsin the novel reversible transmission mechanism for ironing machineshereinafter described; and the same consists, furthermore, in the novelarrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts thereof,as well as 1n the details ofthe construction of the sam al of which willbe fully described in the following specification, and then vfinallyembodied in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a side elevation of an ironing machine equipped withthe novel reversible transmission mechanism made according to andembodying the principles of this invention; and Figure 2 is a horizontalsection, taken on line 22 in said Figure 1-v Similar characters ofreference are employed in the said views, to indicate correspondingparts.

Referring now to said drawings, the reference character l indicates aframe-work upon which is mounted themechanism comprising the ironingmachine. Said framework 1 is providedvwith a pair of transverselyopposite bearings 2 in which is journaled the shaft 3 of a rotaryironing roll 4L.

Supported in connection with said framework are a pair of laterallyspaced longitudinal guide rails 5, disposed; to extend beneath saidironing roll 4, Associated with said guiderails 5, so asto. extendtrans,- versely between the same at desired longitudinal intervals, area plurality of rollers v6. Carried upon said rollers 6, and guided bysaid guide rails 5, is a longitudinally movable table or carriage 7 uponwhich issu p: ported an'ironing board 8 adapted to be carried, byreciprocable movements of said carriage, back and forth, beneath and incontact'with saidironing roll 4. Adjustably mounted in connection withsaid framework 1 is a bearing frame?) in which is journaledthetransverse shaft 10 ofan impulsion roller 11, which is mountedbeneathsaid carriage 7 so as to be alined with and opposed in position tosaidironing roll 4:,

Fixed on one end ofsaid ironing roll shaft 3 is a gear-wheel 12whichmeshes with and drives agear-wheel 13 fixed on said impulsionroller shaft 10, whereby rotary motion imparted to said ironing roll istransmitted to said impulsion roller 11 in an opposite direction. H 1 vk The reference, character 14 indicates suitably constructed standardsor supports,

upon which is secured a bearing frame 15 provided with suitablypositioned and alined longitudinal bearings 16, and a transverse bearing17. J ournaled in said transverse bearing 17 is a transverse "shaft 18L, upon the outer nd are s as a are an? #2:

' tor.

Said shaft 18 is axially alined with said ironing roll shaft 3 so thatits inner end abuts against the outer end of the latter. Said adjoiningends of said shaft 18 and ironing roll shaft 3 are coupled together, soas to rotate together, by means of a suitable coupling 20. Mounted insaid longitudinal bearings 16,'so as to extend across the front of saidbevel gear 19 is a longitudinal shaft 21. 'Loosely'mounted on said shaft21 is a bevel pinion 22, which is retained in position by collars 23 and24,-so as to remain in mesh with one side of Said bevel gear 19. In likemanner, loosely mounted on said shaft 21 is another bevel pinion 25,which is retained in position by collars 26 and 27, so as to, remain inmesh with the opposite side of bevel gear 19-. Saidbevel pinion-22 isprovided at its inner end with female clutch jaws 2,2", preferablyformed as an integral part of said pinion; and, in like manner, saidbevel pinion 25 is provided at its inner end with female clutch .jaws25. Slidably mounted upon said shaft 21, intermediate the clutch jaws ofthe respective bevel pinions above described, is a clutch member-28,provided at its respective ends with male clutch jaws 22 and 25adapted,aupon proper shifting of said clutch member from one side to theother, to have'ilts clutch jaws 22 operatively engaged with the clutchjaws 22 of said pinion 22, or its clutch j aws 25" operatively engagedwiththe clutch jaws 25 of said pinion 25, so that said bevel gear19,.and consequently the ironing roll and associated rotary parts, maybe'rotated in either direction at the will of the opera- Said clutchmember 28 while movable longitudinally or slidably upon said shaft 21 iskeyed thereto by the spline 29, so that 'rotary movement of said shaftis imparted thereto. Said clutch member 28 is provided, intermediate itsclutch aws, with an annular groove or channel in which is engaged anembracing yoke or slip collar 30, having diametrically a-linedandoppositely projecting pivot studs 31, to which are pivotally relatedthe ends of a fork-arm 32 of a shiftlever 33. Said shift-lever 33 issuitably pivoted upon a cross-bar ,34 mounted upon said standards orsupports 14. J ournaled in bearing-s 35, mounted near the lower ends ofcertain of said standards or supports 14, is a transverse rock-shaft 36,to which is fixed an upwardly projecting lever-arm 37, the upper freeend of which is interconnected with the lower free end of saidshift-lever 33 by means-of link 37 Also secured upon said rock-shaft 36,in a suitable location, is a forwardly projecting pedal-lever 38,

The means for driving the transmission 'mechanism above described,comprises a longitudinal lower or jack shaft 39, journaled in suitablydisposed bearings 40 supported transverse cross bars 41 connected withsald standards or supports '14. Fixed on one end of said jack shaft 39is a. driving pulley 42. Fixed upon the opposite end of said jack shaft39 is a pulley 43, over which runs a belt 44 adapted to transmit powerto said shaft 21 through the pulley 45 mounted on the latter. Saidjack-shaft driving pulley 42 may be drivenfrom any suitable source ofpower, but a very desirable and convenient arrangement of-power sourceis found in providing an electric motor 46, mounted upon a platform '47supported at the upper end of said standards or supports 14, and thepulley 48 of which drives a belt 49 which, runs over said driving pulley42. In order to drive the transmission mechanism at de sired speed, thesizes of the respective pulleys 42, 43 and 45 may be arranged to providethe desired speed reduction from "the 7 motor.

In'practice I have found it desirable that the shift lever 33 benormally and automaticalily retained in a position to, engage .the jaws22"" of the clutch member28 with the jaws 22 of pinion 22, whereby thenormal arrangement of the transmission mechanism is such, that theironing roll and associated mechanism iso-perated in. a direction andmanner" tending; to move the ironing board 8 in the direction of thearrow w. To 'thisend a pull-spring 50 is interconnected between thelower end of the shift lever 33 and a stationary .point provided by oneof the-transversecross-bars 41 of said standards or supports 14.. Bythis arrangement, the

pedal-lever 38 is normally and automatically raised when released fromthe foot of the operator. When it is desired to reverse the operation ofthe transmission mechanism, to reverse the rotation of the ironing rolland associated parts, whereby the ironing board 8 is caused to travel inan opposite or return direction, that is in the direction of the arrowy, thentheoperator depresses :the v pedal-lever 38, whereby therock-shaft is rocked, and the lever arm 37 thrown so as to pull forwardthe lower end of the shift lever 33, against the tension of the pullspring 50, thereby causing the shifting of the clutch member 28 so as toremove the sam'efrom operative engagement with the pinion 22,

and shift the same so that its clutch jaws 25" operatively engage thejaws "25 of said pinion 25. (This latter position of the parts isillustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings, in which the pedal-lever isshown thus depressed.)

In operation the ironing-board 8 and its ironing roll 4 and impulsionroller 11. The operator W lays upon the surface of "the ironing boardthe articles to be ironed, and

carriage 7 is normally occupyinga position forward of and out ofengagement with the is engaged by the ironing roll 4. Since the clutchdevices of the transmission mecha nism are in normal initial positions,as above described, the said ironing roll and impulsion roller will berotated in opposite directions, so that as they engage the ironing boardand carriage they will operatively feed the same rearward whereby theironing board with the articles to be ironed thereon, passes beneath theironing roll, so that the articles are engaged thereby and smoothlyironed, the impulsion roller at the same time exerting an upwardpressure whereby the articles are submitted to a rolling pressureexerted by the ironing roll. While no means is shown in the drawings forheating the ironing roll 4, such features being no part of thisinvention, it will be understood that said ironing roll 4 is usuallyheated by some convenient means. When the ironing board 8 has been thusfed rearwardly a sufficient distance to entirely carry the articles tobe ironed beneath the ironing roll a, the operator depresses with hisfoot the pedal-lever 38, thereby throwing the shift-lever to move theclutch devices into engagement with the pinion 25, whereby the action ofthe transmission mechanism is reversed, in a manner already described,and as will be clearly understood from an inspection of the drawings, sothat the ironing board 8 and its carriage 7 will be caused to travel ina forward or return direction, until it again occupies its normalinitial position, ready for repetition of the above describedoperations.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the arrangements andcombinations of the various devices and parts, as well as in the detailsof the construction of the same, without departing from the scope of mypresent invention as set forth in the foregoing specification, and asdefined in the appended claims. Hence, I do not limit my invention tothe exact arrangements and combinations of the said devices and parts asdescribed in said specification, nor doI confine myself to the exactdetails of the construction of said parts as illustrated in.

the accompanying drawings.

I claim prising a supporting frame-work, a driven shaft mounted on saidframe-work, a coupling means for operatively connecting said drivenshaft to the ironing. machine, a driven bevel gear on said shaft, adriving shaft supported by saidframe-work in front of said driven bevelgear, bevel pinions loosely mounted on said driving shaft torespectively mesh with opposite sides of said driven bevel gear, eachbevel pinion having clutch jaws, a shiftable clutch-member keyed on saiddriving shaft intermediate said clutch-jaws, a power source comprisingan electric motor supported by said frame-work, a speed reductiontransmission means intermediate said motor and said driving shaft, andmeans for actuating said clutch-member to engage one or the other ofsaid bevel pinions.

2. A reversing transmission mechanism for attachment to ironingmachines, comprising a supporting frame-work, a driven shaft mounted onsaid frame-work, a coupling means for operatively connecting said drivenshaft to the ironing machine, a'driven bevel gear on said shaft, adriving shaft supported by said frame-work in front of said driven bevelgear, bevel pinions loosely mounted on said driving shaft torespectively mesh with opposite sides of said driven bevel gear, eachbevel pinion having clutch jaws, a shiftable clutch-member keyedvon saiddriving shaft intermediate said clutch-jaws, a power source comprisingan electric motor supported by said framework, a jack shaft journaled insaid framework, a speed reduction transmission means intermediate saidmotor and said jack shaft, a second speed reduction transmission meansintermediate, said jack shaft and said driv-

